Are you arranging a funeral for a proud Welsh person? You might want to include some readings and songs that reflect their heritage and the things that were important to them.
To help you plan the send-off, we’ve gathered some popular Welsh songs for funerals, including hymns and male voice choir tunes. We’ve also included a few Welsh funeral poems, quotes and sayings that you could read at the funeral or write in a condolence card.
Welsh funeral music
Famous Welsh funeral songs
Mary Hopkin – Those Were the Days
Are you looking for nostalgic Welsh songs for funerals? ‘Those Were the Days’ is based on a Russian folk song – but it was made famous in the UK by the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin. It has a bittersweet feel, with upbeat music and lyrics that reflect on good times gone by.
Tom Jones – Green Green Grass of Home
Like ‘Those Were the Days’, ‘Green Green Grass of Home’ wasn’t written by a Welsh person. However, Pontypridd native Tom Jones turned the song into a global hit when he released his version in 1966. With its lyrics about homesickness and family, it would work well as a funeral song for someone who moved away from Wales.
Eve Goodman – Dacw ’Nghariad
‘Dacw ’Nghariad’ is an old folk song with Welsh lyrics. They tell the story of a lovesick young man who longs to be with his sweetheart. We’ve chosen a version by Eve Goodman, which has a beautifully sad and simple sound.
Traditional Welsh funeral hymns
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer (Bread of Heaven)
This has to be one of the most popular Welsh hymns for funerals. ‘Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer’ was written in the early 20th century and has since become famous as a Welsh rugby anthem.
The hymn is about putting your faith in God’s strength and guidance. It’s sometimes called ‘Bread of Heaven’ after a lyric in the English translation.
Arglwydd Iesu, arwain f’enaid (Lord Jesus, Guide My Soul)
Also known as ‘In Memoriam’, this Welsh-language hymn has a powerful, emotional sound. Its lyrics say that Jesus is like a rock that shields us from life’s storms.
Calon Lân (Pure Heart)
Here’s another traditional funeral hymn from Wales that’s enjoyed a new lease of life as a Rugby song. Many well-known artists have released versions of it, including Katherine Jenkins and Faryl Smith.
Though an English version exists, ‘Calon Lân’ is almost always performed in Welsh.
Welsh male voice choir funeral songs
Wales is known around the world for its male voice choirs – and these highly skilled singing groups are an important part of Welsh funeral traditions. Are you considering hiring a choir for a funeral or playing some choral music as part of the service? You might want to consider one of these classics.
Cymru Fach (Dearest Wales)
‘Cymru Fach’ is a patriotic Welsh funeral song with a big, rousing sound. If you speak Welsh, the lyrics are sure to strike a chord. ‘Os nad yw hi’n fawn mae hi’n ddigon, I lenwi fy nghalon’: Wales isn’t a big country, but it’s large enough to fill my heart.
We’ll Keep a Welcome
‘We’ll Keep a Welcome’ was written for a BBC radio show in 1940 and has since become a Welsh standard. Like many Welsh songs for funerals, the lyrics focus on the beautiful landscape of Wales and the emotional welcome people can expect when they return. ‘We’ll kiss away each hour of hiraeth (homesickness) when you come home again to Wales.’
Take Me Home
This popular Welsh choir funeral song was written for the London Welsh Male Voice Choir in the early 1970s. It’s about memories of mining, family and happy days spent singing songs together.
Welsh poems for funerals
And Death Shall Have No Dominion by Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas was one of the most famous Welsh poets who ever lived. He wrote several poems about death, including the classic ‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’.
This one is an optimistic poem written in Thomas’s typically passionate style. It’s built around the repeated line ‘And death shall have no dominion’, which acts a bit like a chant or prayer. By repeating the line, Thomas makes clear that the human spirit is more powerful than death.
Clown in the Moon by Dylan Thomas
- Here’s another well-known Welsh funeral poem by Dylan Thomas. It’s a short piece about grief that packs lots of emotion into its 8 lines. Thomas compares his tears to delicate petals, falling quietly from ‘some magic rose’.
On Going by Owen Sheers
If you’re looking for modern Welsh poetry for funerals, you could give this one a look. The poet writes about visiting a relative in hospital and remembers how she acknowledged the love he showed her, even as she lay dying.
Cofio (Remembrance) by Waldo Williams
This Welsh-language funeral poem isn’t about a particular person. Instead, it’s a poem of remembrance for all the people, stories, words and dreams that have been lost to time. It’s a powerful reminder of how fragile memories can be – and how we should do all we can to keep them alive.
Welsh funeral readings
Welsh sayings about death
Here are a few Welsh proverbs that reflect on death, wisdom and the passing of time.
- Benthyg dros dro popeth yn y byd hwn. (Everything you have in this world is just borrowed for a short time.)
- Adfyd a phall a wna ddyn yn gall. (Adversity and failure make a person wise.)
- A fynno ei fodd porthed amynedd. (Who desires to be satisfied, let him feed patience.)
- Hir nych yr angau. (Long is the languor of death.)
- Caiff dyn dysg o'i grud i'w fedd. (A person learns from the cradle to the grave.)
- O bob trwm, trymaf henaint. (Of all weights, old age is the heaviest.)
Welsh funeral quotes
A patriotic quote about what it means to be Welsh
To be born in Wales, not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but with music in your blood and with poetry in your soul, is a privilege indeed.
Brian Harris (from the poem ‘In Passing’)
A quote about death from a famous Welsh novel
But you have gone now, all of you that were so beautiful when you were quick with life. Yet not gone, for you are still a living truth inside my mind.
So how are you dead, my brothers and sisters, and all of you, when you live with me as surely as I live with myself.
Richard Llewellyn (from How Green Was My Valley)
A writer’s view on love and Welshness
In Wales, they love with abandon.
When a Welsh person loves you,
you'll finally know your potential.
Kamand Kojouri
